1st Edition
Psychology for Filmmakers Crafting Authentic Characters and Stories
0. Introduction 1. Psychology and Cinema 2. Psychoanalysis in Cinema 3. Cinema as a Manifestation of Current Psychological Trends 4. Psychological Foundation of Creating a Character 5. The Neurotic Character: Shaping a Deep and Real Personality 6. Inner Conflict and the Character’s Arc of Changes 7. Other Types of Characters 8. Afterword
Biography
Tatiana Salakhieva‑Talal is a certified Gestalt therapist and supervisor (Member of European Association for Gestalt‑Therapy) in Russia and across Europe, as well as an expert in film psychology. She is a co‑founder of the Psychotherapy Association and Institute “Metamorphoses” and the founder of the Psychology Center “Makes Sense”. Between 2012 and 2020, she taught the highly regarded course “Psychology for Screenwriters” at the Moscow Film School. Since 2019, she has been the creator and lead instructor of the course “Psychology in Film: Creating Characters and Stories”, which has had more than 800 graduates worldwide. With years of experience consulting on films and TV series, her expertise lies in bridging psychology and storytelling, enabling screenwriters to create meaningful, resonant narratives.
“It's so rare to find a book about art that is itself a piece of art!”
Timur Bekmambetov, director and producer“This book exceeded all my expectations! It is very useful for us screenwriters. It's smart, witty and informative — simply delightful! The theory is supported by examples from films of various genres and time periods. No one has ever presented psychological knowledge to me in such a coherent, clear and straightforward way.”
Alexey Poyarkov, screenwriter, playwright and director“Which is more important: the structure of the story or the protagonist's personality? This book offers irrefutable evidence that structure grows out of personality and that personality is the foundation for structure — one cannot exist without the other in a good film.”
Vsevolod Korshunov, screenwriter and film expert
